Late Night
by NetsirkBlue
Summary: Toph really didn't think she was asking for much, wanting to go to sleep at night but Sokka really did know how to keep a earthbender up even if it wasn't intentional. No pairings.


**A/N: **Wrote this at 12:00 P.M. so have no idea around what episodes it lies. Just a bunch random I'm sure…

**Disclaimer: **Avatar: The Last Airbender doesn't belong to me, by any means.

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Late Night

Toph sighed the umpteenth time since the sun vanished below the horizon and the rest of the gang settled down for the night, well **most **of them…

Only tiny night creatures were stirring in the nearby bushes and crickets playing their songs from the treetops. These were all sounds she grew accustomed to and would eventually allow her fade into slumber. All normal, natural, soothing sounds except…

And she ground her teeth as the steady vibrations pushed through her back and fingers that brushed against the trusty earth. Earth that now betrayed her by keeping her up at this unreasonable hour.

Back and forth…

_Back and forth._

Why wouldn't the pacing stop?

She sighed again wondering if perhaps doing that enough times would cause her to pass out from a lack oxygen. Right now, that would be so _nice. _Her sightless green eyes flickered open as she sat up and dispersed her earth tent back into the dirt around her.

Some ways away from her she felt the pacing stop and the body stiffen, probably hearing the whoosh of the stone sinking into the dirt. Getting up she slandered over in the boy's direction, shifting weight from foot to foot to met the vibrations rushing back through her soles.

"Toph… what are you doing up?"

She quirked a brow at his unsteady voice, it was soft and nervous and perhaps a hint uncertain. She curled her small fist and rammed him where she sensed his arm to be, felt him sway from her hit but remarkably remain standing. Twisting her lips into a slight scowl she faked annoyance(not that she wasn't annoyed, just not as much as she made it sound.) "Don't see how anyone can sleep Snoozles, with all the stomping around your doing?"

He was rubbing the back of his neck, she was sure and he generally sounded sincere when he apologized. "Oh… I didn't… I'm sorry." She felt Aang roll over in his sleep, most likely due to their voices but the young avatar didn't seem too disturbed though as he was mumbling something about a certain water tribe girl in his sleep.

She grabbed Sokka's arm feeling his muscles tighten in surprise. It must be pretty dark out. "Come on."

Outside her earth tent she could feel the humid air nipping at her skin and the moist springy grass surrounding their campsite brushing under her toes. The warmth of Sokka's arm against her hand and the steady thud of his footsteps continued to inform Toph of where he was.

Hearing his soft gasp, she grinned. "Sorry Snoozles, I didn't know you were _blind_." She knew he probably never saw that tree root until it decided to trip him and found his annoyance rather satisfying when she had allowed him to stumble.

"Hey." He protested, "it's dark out here."

"Is that _so_?" She had a million sarcastic quips she could have used to reply to that statement, most related to her inability to see but at the moment she was still pleased at the root's work so decided to cut the warrior some slack. That didn't mean she wanted some sort of explanation though…

"The moon isn't out tonight…"

Why did he have to say that in such a solemn way? She frowned her brows at his tone and released _another_ sigh. It was stupid… right, "what's the deal it's just a giant rock in the sky?" She pointed out rather bluntly, was there something special about that big dumb rock up there? Something that made Sokka's heartbeat flutter faster when mentioned?

Toph thought about it and decided she really didn't care. It wasn't any of her business.

Suddenly she was pulled to a stop. Her, Toph Bei Fong caught off guard as she fell backwards onto her bottom. "Sokka…" She grunted in annoyance feeling his presence laid out in the grass beside her. It was a tone of warning but the boy wasn't cowering.

"I know I'm not like… you guys…"

Oh, not this again. She squeezed her fingers to the brim of her nose, almost certain of where this was headed. "Yes we all know Snoozles, you lack bending powers but that's what that sword of yours is for, right?" Despite the choice of wording it was really more of a statement then a question.

"I'm not good enough though." That was definitely a statement.

Toph replied anyways. "You just need practice." There she went sighing again.

Somehow Sokka just didn't seem convinced. This attitude of his really ticked her off sometimes, specially when she could be sleeping instead of sitting here, supplying a full course meal to hungry mosquitoes. She decided to get to the bottom of this so they could both go to sleep. "What's really bothering you?"

The vibrations trickled through her as he rolled over on his side, facing away. "What if I'm not strong enough? I couldn't save my mother… I couldn't save Yue, I couldn't even save Suki…" Setting aside the fact that Toph had no idea who Yue was and really didn't like Suki, she knew that they were now approaching the reason to this insomnia. "You guys… you, Aang, Katara… you're all family to me."

She felt him shudder. "What if I'm not enough to save you guys either?…"

There she went sighing again. "Listen Sokka… I'm one badass earth bender, Twinkle toes is the Avatar and even Sugar Queen is one tough cookie, I think that means we don't need anyone to save us but if by some _slim _chance that we do because our bending for _some_ reason does not work… you'd be the one we'd call, after all you are the _idea guy _and though your skills may be lacking, somehow you make up for it in brains."

"But…"

Toph groaned pushing her palm into the dirt and caused a pillar to knock Sokka up onto his bottom. "Sokka." She said sternly putting her face up close to his to make sure he got the point. "Shut up." Then she pulled herself up to her feet. "I'm going to go to sleep now and you better do the same. And there is no reason for you not to since we can all handle ourselves and won't ever require you to save us."

With one more sigh the young earth bender headed back to camp.

Sokka really hoped Toph didn't just foreshadow what would surely lead to their untimely demise.

Sokka really hoped he be strong enough next time… but right now he couldn't do anything about it, it was late and he **really** was tired. Tomorrow he'd try harder, and he'd make sure he was strong enough to protect his misfit family when that time came.

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